The controversial governor of Ekiti State, Mr. Ayodele Fayose, laughed off the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Sunday for “chasing shadows” and writing 102 petitions to the Inspector General of Police, two years after a crushing governorship election defeat and a year after his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), defeated again the APC in the general elections.
Mr. Fayose defeated the sitting governor, Mr. Kayode Fayemi, in all the 16 Local government areas, including in Ado Ekiti, the State capital, and in the former governor’s local government.
So severe was that defeat that jubilation erupted in the nearest polling unit from Mr. Fayemi’s office in the capital immediately the results at that polling station were announced. The election was monitored by Mr. Simon Ateba, the publisher of TheSimonAtebaNews and was deemed to be free, fair and credible by most local and international observers. People danced all night until the next day, and the day after, and Mr. Fayemi conceded defeat, overwhelmed by the mass rejection.
Mr. Fayose in his statement said the APC should stop chasing shadows over the June 21, 2014 governorship election and wait for 2018 when another election takes place in two years.
“Writing over 100 petitions to the office of the Inspector General of Police (IGP) on an election conducted two years ago and was adjudged as free, fair and credible even by the international community, including the United States of America government is a demonstration of the APC desperation to throw Ekiti State into chaos just because the party lost power,” Mr. Fayose said, according to a statement by his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Mr. Lere Olayinka.
He advised the new IGP not to allow himself to be dragged into “the Ekiti State APC blinded show of political desperation”, adding that “the IGP should maintain the culture of professional policing and maintenance of rule of law as done by his immediate predecessor, Mr Solomon Arase”.
He should, he added, “be mindful of being drawn into needless political fights orchestrated by some APC governorship aspirants in Ekiti State just because of fear of 2018.”
He added: “Assuming but not conceding that offences were committed by anyone before, during and after the election held two years ago, the Ekiti State Police Command would have carried out its investigation and made anyone found culpable to face the law.
“It should also be pointed out that it is the duty of the Attorney General of Ekiti State to prosecute anyone that committed any offence in Ekiti State and not that of the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF)”.
Most importantly, he said, “the IGP should be mindful of the reality that writing over 100 petitions to the police, two years after an election was won and lost and expecting the police to embark on wanton arrest of innocent Ekiti people is a clear invitation to anarchy”.
“And it is hoped that the new IGP won’t begin his career as the number one police officer in Nigeria with the ridiculous action of running after PDP members in Ekiti State instead of focussing on the growing insecurity in the country.”
Mr. Fayose, who is President Muhammadu Buhari’s critic-in-chief, has been at loggerhead with the presidency and his account was frozen by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on suspicions that the money acquired illegally.
He vowed to pursue the matter in court, arguing that as a sitting governor, the Federal Government cannot freeze his personal bank account. But the government claimed it was right as his personal bank account was different from the government account.
Mr. Fayose denied that he received money through corruption, arguing that his election was financed by Zenith banks nd donations from friends. The bank reportedlying denied sponsoring him but issued no official statement.
While some see the account free as the legitimate fight against corruption, others argue that Mr. Buhari is going after perceived enemies unable to tackle Nigeria’s many challenges, including militants from the Niger Delta who have crashed oil production by almost half.